Dreaming of Riddles
by Charlie Waffles
Summary: All of Harry's dreams are memories of Tom Riddle's life leaked to him by the horcrux within him. It is once he is introduced to the wizarding world that he realizes his dreams are not merely dreams and that he knows Voldemort better than anyone else, including most of Voldemort's very own soul. (Expected completed length: 30-50 chapters. Eventual Hinny.)
1. The Visit

Disclaimer: I obviously own nothing. This story is fanfiction. This disclaimer applies to all chapters of this story.

 **Chapter 1: The Visit**

When Harry awoke and opened his eyes, all he saw was darkness. It was like this every day. At night, he could see all sorts of fascinating shapes and colors, but when he was awake, all he could see was pitch black darkness. It was the opposite of what others experienced, he knew. He supposed it was poetic in a way. His daily life was mundane at best and sad and painful at worst. His dreams, although sometimes horrific due to the nature of their content, were always interesting. Sometimes he thought he'd like to write about his dreams and tell the story about the promising orphan boy named Tom Riddle who grew up to be the powerful and greatly feared Lord Voldemort. He couldn't though, not when he couldn't see and not when his muggle relatives would freak out about him even thinking about magic.

Not for the first time he pondered over why his dreams always were about this one person. He didn't mind much since he could see the magnificence of the world when seeing through this person's eyes. It was just strange how coherent and consistent the dreams were. The dreams flitted between points in this person's childhood and adulthood seemingly at random, but it all came together in time; it was just a matter of waiting.

Today was Harry's 11th birthday, and he was hopeful that it meant he'd get a letter to attend Hogwarts soon. While he knew it was likely just wishful thinking, that all his dreams were showing a place that didn't actually exist, a place that he simply somehow managed to conjure up in his mind through unknown means, he was optimistic.

If the letter didn't arrive and Hogwarts and the rest of the wizarding world turned out to not exist, well, at least he had the dreams to look forward to. They were the only respite he really had in his dark and lonely world. He had no friends, received no verbal or physical affection from anyone ever, often went without food, and lacked what was quite possibly the most important sense to have in order to maneuver throughout life with relative ease: sight.

Because he couldn't see, his relatives couldn't have him cooking or cleaning around the house. He knew that if he could see that they'd have him working like a house elf though. He'd often hear his aunt and uncle complain in some capacity about him "not earning his keep." At times he'd be told that it was because he didn't "contribute" that they withheld food from him. He knew they were lying and that they'd withhold food even if he could see and cook and clean. They just liked to hurt him to whatever degree they felt they could get away with.

Harry sat inside his cupboard most of the time when he wasn't at school. His relatives weren't about to let him lounge around the living room or kitchen. It didn't make much difference to him anyway. Whether he was sitting in the cupboard or sitting somewhere else, he didn't exactly get visual stimulation. At least in the cupboard he didn't have to deal with Dudley shoving him into a wall or to the floor to get passed him or for no reason at all, nor did he have to deal with his aunt and uncle berating him to his face. He'd much prefer to simply overhear them complaining about him and leave him out of it.

The doorbell rang, and Petunia went to go answer it. Harry was able to hear the conversation pretty easily from his cot in the cupboard. The person at the door was a man named Severus, who Petunia clearly disliked, judging by her cold tone when she said his name. The man seemed to feel similarly cold towards her, based on his similarly chilled tone when saying her name. He said that he was told by the headmaster to deliver Harry (though he said "Mr. Potter" in an annoyed tone) his letter to attend Hogwarts. Harry gasped, and hope swelled up in his chest. It was actually happening!

That hope was immediately crushed when he heard his aunt say that he wasn't going to be attending the school, that she wasn't going to allow him to spread his freakishness around her house. Severus said that she had no say so in the matter and told her to fetch Harry for him. Petunia refused.

That's when a chaotic jumble of sounds occurred. Harry couldn't quite make out what happened, but it involved his aunt and uncle shouting various things briefly before going silent, followed by loud, heavy-sounding thumps on the ground and the front door closing. Severus asked Dudley (Harry had to assume) to inform him as to where Harry was. Then Dudley ran up the stairs quickly, and soon after Harry heard the cupboard door open.

"Hello?" Harry asked, turning toward where he knew the man was standing. Harry didn't bother lifting his head up or tilting his head to the left or right though. He had no idea if this man was tall or short, standing or crouching, nor where exactly he was located.

"Mr. Potter, I'm Severus Snape, a professor at a school called Hogwarts, which you are to attend beginning this September. Let's move to the living room to discuss things further, shall we?" Harry could tell that this man, while sounding rather stern, seemed concerned by the tone of his voice. Harry could imagine why. The man was probably surprised by the fact that this cupboard was his bedroom when most people, including children, had actual bedrooms, at least as far as he could tell.

When it sounded like Professor Snape had moved out of the way, Harry fumbled his way out of the cupboard and moved toward the living room, keeping his hands out in front of him to avoid bumping into walls and other objects. He didn't have the probing cane on him when he was at home since he spent almost all of his time in the cupboard and his relatives didn't want a risk of him possibly wandering about ...as though he would randomly do such a thing in his condition.

With just a bit of stumbling, Harry managed to get to the living room and seat himself on one of the sofas. He waited to let the professor begin the conversation.

"Mr. Potter, can you tell me what you know about Hogwarts?" Professor Snape didn't give away any emotion with this question.

Harry wanted to say that he knew all about it because of the dreams he had but decided against saying as much. The fact was that dreams weren't a reliable source of information. In truth, he didn't know anything definitively about the school. He settled with "You said it was a school. I've never heard about it before."

"Your aunt never mentioned it?" Professor Snape sounded a little surprised.

"No."

After a moment, the professor asked, "What do you know about magic?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did your aunt ever discuss magic with you?"

"I don't think she likes magic. The few times I can remember her not letting my cousin, Dudley, watch something on the telly was because it had something about magic involved. I think it might be a religious thing for her, but I'm not sure."

"What do you know about your parents?" Professor Snape sounded like he cared greatly about the answer to this question.

Tentatively, Harry responded, "I was told they were drunks who died in a car crash when I was a baby."

"What?" Professor Snape sounded offended. "Your aunt, Petunia, told you that your mother, her sister, died in a drunken car crash?"

Harry noticed that the professor didn't mention his father in this question but decided not to linger on it. "Yes."

The two sat in silence for a moment before the professor asked another question, sounding like he was barely containing rage. "What else have you been told about your parents?"

"Honestly? Nothing really beyond how they died, that my mother was my aunt's sister, and that my parents couldn't hold down jobs even though they had me. I always got told to shut up the few times I asked for any more information."

Harry heard the professor breathing in a manner that suggested he was trying to calm himself down in order to not have an angry outburst. After another moment of silence, the professor asked another question. "Mr. Potter, that cupboard I found you in isn't your bedroom, is it?"

Harry expected this question to pop up at some point in their conversation, so it didn't take him by surprise. It sounded like the professor already knew the answer to the question and was simply trying to determine whether Harry would be honest with him. Harry figured that there was no point in lying when the truth was already known. "It is my bedroom."

The professor cautiously stated, "I also noticed some other things that have me concerned."

Harry nodded. He expected this too.

"Are you able to see?"

"No. I'm completely blind and have been for as long as I can remember."

"Do you have items that help you get around? I noticed you didn't have anything when coming over to the living room."

"I have a probing cane, but I only have access to it when I'm going to school. Otherwise, they put it someplace. I'm not sure where."

"How much time do you spend in the cupboard?" It sounded like the professor had his suspicions already.

"Pretty much all of my time if I'm not at school."

"Would I be correct in assuming your clothes were all previously worn by your cousin?"

"Yes. Anything I own was previously his."

"Are they feeding you properly?"

Harry wasn't completely sure what a proper diet consisted of, but he knew he certainly didn't have one. "No. They regularly make me skip meals because I can't quote earn my keep end quote. Even when I do get food, it's usually very little and mostly bread."

"Do they ever hit you?"

It was blatantly obvious by now that the professor was trying to determine just how bad Harry's home life was and how much he was being neglected or abused. Since Harry was on a roll with the honesty, he figured he might as well continue. "Not really. I mean, sometimes my cousin shoves me, but I think that actually hitting a blind kid would seem too wrong to my aunt and uncle, so I don't really have to deal with that at least."

"How do they speak to you?"

"They don't really talk to me much, but it's better that they don't. They generally just insult me or complain about my existence when they do. They don't even call me by my name. They generally just call me 'boy', or if they're really mad, they'll call me 'freak.' I didn't even know what my name was until I started school actually." Harry realized he was providing a lot more information throughout this exchange than the professor was asking for, but it sounded like the man really did care, and maybe, just maybe, the man would be able and willing to help him. It was quite clear that the man wasn't from the area. Otherwise, the man would've thought him to be a liar and not listened to him nor asked so many questions.

"Harry, I believe I have enough information now to tell you some things that you should've been told before but that I understand you have not been informed about. I will also state that I will be looking into getting you placed into a better home as soon as possible because your current housing situation is deeply troubling. Your aunt and uncle's treatment of you is, put mildly, inappropriate. As far as your parents go, they did have jobs, they were not drunkards, and they did not die in a car crash. Regarding Hogwarts, it is a school where students are taught about magic and how to use it. Magic is real, and you are a wizard. Both of your parents could do magic as well. Do you have any specific questions at the moment before I continue?"

Harry noticed how the professor swapped out "Mr. Potter" for "Harry," which he was rather happy about. It was also nice to hear that the man would be attempting to help him. Hearing that his parents had magical abilities and that Hogwarts was a magic school simply confirmed what his dreams conveyed to him. He suspected he already knew how his parents died because of his dreams, but he decided it'd be best to not say as much. Harry settled on "How did my parents die?" It just dawned on Harry that, if he remembered correctly, Severus appeared in his dreams before as a follower of Lord Voldemort's.

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't tell you as much as I'm about to due to your age, but these are not normal circumstances, and it's better that you hear about this before you begin attending Hogwarts."

Harry nodded.

"Your parents were killed by a wizard who was, essentially, a terrorist who started a war in magical Britain. Your parents had fought against him and his followers on multiple occasions as your parents were aurors. Aurors are basically the wizarding equivalent of police officers and soldiers. There is a spell that is referred to as the killing curse, and it was used on your father and your mother. It was also used on you, but you survived. No one else has ever survived the killing curse. Somehow, in connection to the curse not working on you, it also appeared to have backfired onto the wizard who had cast it. Ever since that night he hasn't been seen or heard from. Some believe him to be dead while others think he's still alive somewhere somehow. Due to both you surviving the killing curse and the wizard who cast it seemingly dying, you are, more or less, famous in the wizarding world. You are referred to as the 'Boy-Who-Lived.' Do you have any questions?"

"What was the name of the wizard who killed my parents?"

Professor Snape sighed. "Most people refer to him as 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' or 'You-Know-Who.' Those who call him 'the Dark Lord' usually side with his political stances or were followers of his. None of these titles are his name, but people referred to him in these ways during the war because he put a taboo spell upon his name. Put bluntly, if anyone were to say his name, he and his followers would immediately find the person who spoke it and torture and kill them as well as anyone who was around the person who said his name. Naturally, the fear hasn't completely left people's minds, which is why people still don't refer to him by his name. His actual name, which you should never speak of when you enter the wizarding world, is Lord Voldemort."

Harry nodded. Again, all of this information simply confirmed what his dreams had shown him before. Harry decided to take his line of questioning in a different direction. He really had no reason to inquire more about Lord Voldemort. In all likelihood, Harry probably knew more about the man than anyone else if his hunch was correct that all of his dreams were memories of Lord Voldemort's life. Why all of Harry's dreams seemed to be the memories of the dark wizard was something to investigate at a later date. He doubted that this professor would have the answer as it was likely to be highly unusual. Besides, he didn't need to potentially scare someone who was clearly sympathetic to him at this point. "Did you know my parents?" Harry already knew the answer, but he wanted to see what the professor would willingly divulge.

"Yes. I attended Hogwarts at the same time as them. We were in the same year. I knew your mother, Lily, beforehand as my family lived near her family. She was my best friend for many years though we had a falling out eventually. As for your father, we weren't on good terms with each other. I will simply leave it at that."

Harry nodded. The professor's information was honest and open enough. He didn't need all the details for the time being. "I don't know if it's possible, but with magic, is there a way to give me the ability to see? I imagine it'd be hard for me to learn magic blind."

"Yes. Actually, once we finish up this discussion, I was planning to take you to St. Mungo's, a wizarding hospital, so that they could correct your vision and provide you with nutrient supplement potions. Since you have spent your entire life blind, I realize you'll need an adjustment period. You'll likely have to spend the rest of the summer there before the school year begins in order to get brought mostly up to speed. I will inform the headmaster about your condition so that your other professors will be aware that you may need extra assistance for a time. While you are at the hospital, I will collect the items you'll need for the upcoming school year. You will need to get a wand and be fitted for your school uniform, but due to the special circumstances, I should be able to arrange for the shopkeepers to come visit you while you are at the hospital. If not, I shall come by the hospital to take you a few days before you leave for Hogwarts."

"Sir, I have to ask something."

"Yes?"

"What did you do to my aunt and uncle when you came through the front door? I'm guessing you used some sort of spell on them even though I didn't hear you say any words that I would think would be for a spell. They went strangely silent all of a sudden, and I heard what I imagine was them hitting the ground."

"I silently cast a spell to temporarily render them unable to move or speak. There will be no permanent damage, and it should wear off in a couple of minutes. Do you have any more questions that you need to ask at this time?"

"I think that's all for now."

"Very well. Is there anything that you would like to take with you before we leave? You won't be coming back here before the term begins, and if possible, you may never have to return here again."

"There's nothing worth taking with me. If I'm getting my vision fixed and getting new clothes along with whatever else I need for school, I should be fine."

"If you would, then please stand up. We'll be travelling by apparating, which to you I suppose would be teleporting. You'll feel a squeezing sensation and may feel nauseated when it's over."

Harry stood up and let the professor grab hold of his arm before the professor said "Now" and the two apparated. He felt a bit dizzy once it was over and slightly nauseated, but he didn't feel like puking at least; he supposed that was one benefit to having not been given breakfast that morning.

"We're now at the entrance of St. Mungo's, Harry," said Professor Snape. "One thing that is important to keep in mind is that you should try to maintain a low profile while you're here. It's best to not let it be too widely known that you're here or else you'll be swarmed by the press during your stay."

The professor guided Harry into the hospital and spoke in whispers with a member of the hospital staff about who Harry was, why they were here, and how important it was that the staff be discreet. It seemed that the staff member completely understood as Professor Snape and Harry were taken to a private room immediately. There would be absolute chaos in the hospital if anyone learned that the Boy-Who-Lived was there, so they weren't taking any chances.


	2. St Mungo's Hospital

**Chapter 2: St. Mungo's Hospital**

Once Harry and Professor Snape were alone in the hospital room, the professor guided Harry to a hospital bed and had him sit down on it. Harry then heard the professor walk over to a chair that creaked slightly when he sat on it. Since the two were likely to have wait for a while before they'd be seen by a doctor, Harry decided to inquire more about Hogwarts. "Professor, I remember overhearing you tell my aunt that you had a letter for me from Hogwarts, and I was wondering what it said."

"The letter simply informs you that you are able to attend the school, and it comes with a list of school supplies you will need for this year. Once I have collected the items you need that I am able to obtain without you, I will return the letter to you. You will be able to review it once your lack of eyesight has been remedied."

"What types of items are on the list?"

"The items you'll need when attending Hogwarts include school books, school uniforms and other clothing, a wand, potion ingredients and supplies, parchment, quills, and ink. You will also need a bag to carry your school supplies in between classes and a trunk to carry your possessions. You are allowed to bring an owl, a cat, or a toad as a pet, but you do not need one. Owls can be useful for delivering mail, but there are also owls at the school you can simply rent if you need to have something delivered. You can practice spells on toads, but toads are more useful as potion ingredients than as pets to practice spells on. Cats really only serve the purpose of being pets."

"Is there anything in the school rules that says students can't use nonwizard writing supplies like notebooks, paper, and pens? It's just that I imagine it's going to be hard enough trying to write with nonwizard supplies, let alone with things like quills and ink. The nonwizard supplies are probably cheaper too." Harry intentionally had said "nonwizard" instead of "muggle" because he hadn't heard Professor Snape say the word yet, and he didn't want to get caught knowing something about the wizarding world yet that he should've had no way of knowing about. By asking about whether he could use muggle school supplies, he was hoping to find a way to avoid the nonsense that wizarding school supplies would bring. His dreams of Tom Riddle's school days featured several instances of students knocking over inkwells and ruining their homework and other possessions.

"In the wizarding world, we use the term 'muggle' rather than 'nonwizard,' and actually, I do not believe there is a rule against using muggle school supplies. I have never seen a student bring in such items before, however, even the muggle-raised students or muggleborns as they are called."

"Do you think it's just that they don't realize they could bring in muggle school supplies? Does the school supply list say anything about it?" Harry knew fully well that the school supply list Tom Riddle had received when he got his Hogwarts letter didn't mention anything about muggle school supplies. A part of him wondered why he hadn't made the same request that Harry was making now, but then he remembered that Tom hadn't had memories of another wizard's life floating around in his head. Plus, there was also the matter of Tom having wished to fit in someplace at the time, and later, Tom wanted to distance himself from the muggle world as much as possible.

Professor Snape admitted, "That would likely be the reason. No, the school supply list doesn't mention muggle school supplies in any capacity."

"In that case, could I get notebooks, paper, and pens instead of parchment, quills, and ink?" Harry insisted.

"You do realize that you will stand out amongst your peers if you are the only student using muggle items for your classes."

"Sure, but you already told me that I'm apparently famous, so I'm going to end up standing out no matter what, right? And it's not like I'm going to hide the fact I was raised by muggles. In fact, I'm not planning to even hide the fact that I've spent my life totally blind. I don't think being open about these details is going to hurt me at all."

"Very well. There is a store in the muggle world that isn't far from where most supplies are purchased for Hogwarts from which I can gather muggle writing supplies for you."

"I also have another question, professor."

"Yes?"

"How is all of this being paid for? I don't have any money, and I don't think my aunt and uncle would give any money to pay for school supplies since they are against me going to this school."

"Fortunately, your parents left behind a trust vault for you, so you will have the necessary funds to afford the items you need for school. I will be able to retrieve the required funds without you, but if you feel the need to, we will be able to go to the wizarding bank, Gringotts, at a later date."

Harry nodded.

For a few minutes, Harry and Professor Snape sat in silence in the room since there wasn't anything they needed to talk about. Neither really seemed to mind the quiet. Then the door to the hospital room opened and closed before a woman spoke. "Hello, I'm Healer Slaughter. What brings you in today?"

Harry's eyes widened, and he did his best to not choke on air though he didn't succeed. Slaughter? What kind of name was that for a doctor?

Luckily, Professor Snape responded for Harry. "I spoke with a member of the hospital staff shortly before we were brought to this room. The boy is Harry Potter. I am Severus Snape, and I was sent by the headmaster at Hogwarts to deliver his admissions letter today. Upon arriving at his place of residence, I learned that he is unable to see. I believe it is likely that there are other health discrepancies as well. Naturally, his treatment here should be kept quiet so that reporters don't flood the hospital."

"Of course. Patient confidentiality is of utmost importance. You say he is unable to see?"

"Yes."

The healer turned her focus onto Harry. "So, Harry, how long have you been unable to see?"

"My whole life," Harry answered.

"Your whole life?" The healer sounded not just surprised but... scandalized? Harry supposed it was because of the whole being famous thing.

"Yes."

"I see... Well, we will be able to give you your eyesight, but it will take a bit of time and involve some discomfort. Then there is the matter of helping you adjust to being able to see. How long are you able to stay here?"

Once again, Professor Snape answered for Harry. "He is able to stay here until the start of term. If it is truly necessary, he could stay longer. Harry's condition was not expected; otherwise, he would've been brought here sooner."

The healer turned her attention back to the professor. "Of course. Now, as for any other health issues, I'll have to run some diagnostics on Harry, and we'll go from there. Because he will need to stay with us for an extended period of time and, like you said, it's best if the press doesn't catch wind of him being here while he's here, he'll be given a private room on one of the higher-level floors near the Janus Thickey Ward."

"I see no reason to object to this."

"Excellent! I'll go speak with a few members of the staff to get things settled. You two may wait here for now." With that being said, the healer left the room.

When Healer Slaughter returned, Harry heard what sounded like a variety of glass objects land on a table or counter in the room. The healer handed Harry a vial that he was instructed to drink before diagnostics could begin. After Harry downed the contents of the vial, a couple of minutes passed. Then the healer muttered a spell, and Harry heard the crinkling of paper although he supposed it was likely parchment.

"It looks like in addition to needing your eyes corrected that you'll need some nutrient supplement potions, Harry," the healer stated with an obviously displeased tone. "It appears that you're very malnourished although that would explain your height. You are a bit small in stature for a boy of your age."

Harry nodded. Even though he couldn't tell how tall he was compared to other kids his age, it didn't surprise him to hear that he was malnourished and that it affected his height. At least now he'd have the opportunity to get healthy.

The healer continued, "In addition to that, I think it would do some good for you to get more sunlight. Nothing in the diagnostics report indicates that you are sensitive to sunlight. You'll be able to go outside with a healer for some time each day during your stay here, but once you get to Hogwarts, I would highly recommend that you commit to going on walks for at least a half hour each day. It will also help increase your strength and stamina, which are likely affected based on your results."

Harry nodded again to show he understood.

"I'll have a member of the staff show you to where you'll be staying, and they'll be able to provide you with further information and get your treatment started." After that, the healer left the room once again.

A few minutes later, a member of the hospital staff came to the room and escorted Harry and Professor Snape to the room Harry would be staying in for the remainder of the summer. She had Harry change into a hospital gown behind a curtain before having him consume a few different vials of potions. He was then instructed to just stay in the hospital bed and nap, which wasn't difficult as one of the potions had been a sleeping draught.

Once Harry was unconscious, Professor Snape left the hospital to go collect Harry's school supplies and the Philosopher's Stone. Because he had arrived at the Dursley's house in the morning, it was only early afternoon now. He would easily be able to go to Gringotts, collect some money from Harry's vault as well as the Philosopher's Stone, exchange some of the wizarding money for muggle money, go to the muggle and wizarding shops to collect Harry's school supplies, and speak to Madam Malkin and Garrick Ollivander about arranging a time for them to visit Harry at the hospital. In all likelihood, he'd be able to accomplish all of this before Harry woke up.

* * *

When Harry awoke and opened his eyes, he did not see darkness. For the first time in his life, he was able to see light with his own eyes. He still couldn't exactly see as everything was blurry to the point that he might as well have been seeing only darkness, but he could actually see light now.

The joy he felt at the amount of improvement his eyes were already experiencing muted his concern about not having dreamt at all. For the first time he could recall, he hadn't dreamt about anything. He reasoned it was because he'd been rendered unconscious by a potion.

It wasn't long before Healer Slaughter came into the room and checked over Harry, asking him about how he was feeling and what he was experiencing. The healer didn't stay long as everything was progressing normally. Harry was given a few more potions to take before the healer left the room again.

A short while later, Professor Snape returned with Harry's school supplies and informed him that Madam Malkin would be coming to visit him in a week to take his measurements. Harry would be getting more than just the school uniform since he didn't really have any clothing of his own. Sometime later in the month, however, the professor would have to take Harry to Ollivanders for him to get a wand. Garrick Ollivander had said that it'd be very difficult for the right wand to choose Harry if Harry didn't come into the shop. There were hundreds of wands in the shop after all.

The professor put Harry's school supplies in a spot that was out of the way along with Harry's letter from Hogwarts before he left Harry once again.

Harry understood that the professor would not be staying with him while he was at St. Mungo's nor visiting him again this summer beyond taking him to get his wand but felt a little disappointed. He knew the professor had other things to do besides babysitting him, but the man had been rather nice to him. He knew it was unlikely he'd be called "Harry" by the man once the school year began too but hoped that at least the kind attitude would continue. He also hoped that the professor would be able to find somewhere for him to live that wasn't the Dursley's before the year ended.

Because he still couldn't see and, therefore, couldn't really do anything right now in his hospital room, he thought about what his life was going to be like from now on.

He thought about which House he was likely to be sorted into. He knew very well where he was going to end up. If he didn't end up in Slytherin, he'd be surprised. Yes, his parents had been in Gryffindor, but he barely had had the chance to know them. Meanwhile, he had Tom Riddle's whole life, more or less, in his head ever since he could remember. He wasn't planning to become some sort of dark lord or anything, but of course there had been an influence on him. Besides, even without seeing the Heir of Slytherin's memories, considering the childhood he'd had, he'd probably still end up in Slytherin.

Harry also suspected that he'd do very well in his classes. For one thing, he'd already been through Hogwarts' education in a way due to the dreams. For another thing, Harry took his education seriously. He'd learned a long time ago that affection from others was a fickle thing, but you could always gain respect if you put effort into the right things.

The fact that he was famous because Lord Voldemort had tried and failed to kill him when he was a baby meant that people would likely have high expectations for him, expecting him to be very powerful. He not only intended to prove them right but intended to show that he was better than Lord Voldemort.

Technically, having the man's memories could count as cheating, but that was unimportant. According to Lord Voldemort, there was no such thing as good and evil, only power and those too afraid to seek it. Harry was going to apply that to this situation as he knew how powerful knowledge was.

He knew that he needed to be better, more knowledgeable, and more powerful than Lord Voldemort or at least try his best to do so. There was no way that the dark wizard was truly gone with all the horcruxes he'd made. He'd come back eventually if he hadn't already. The likelihood of Lord Voldemort trying to kill him again was high, and he needed to be prepared. He knew exactly how the man thought, and there was simply no way that the dark wizard's pride would allow for him to let Harry live, even if he'd been "bested" by him before.

Of course, Harry had a different understanding of the night his parents died. In a rare act of mercy, on behalf of the seemingly loyal Severus Snape, Lord Voldemort had given Lily Potter the option to step aside. If he hadn't done that, Harry would've been killed by the killing curse. Lily simply sacrificing herself wouldn't have protected Harry. Many mothers and fathers sacrificed themselves for their children without their children receiving any special magical protection in return. Tie that in with the fact that Lord Voldemort had promised Severus that he'd let Lily live, and it was no wonder that a magical contract of sorts had been made and then broken, leading to Lord Voldemort's downfall.

Harry wondered just how he would be able to deal with Lord Voldemort if the man did return and attempt to kill him. Simply killing him wasn't really an option. He'd just end up coming back again because of the horcruxes.

Horcruxes! Of course. He'd need to destroy the horcruxes first or gather them and fuse them with Lord Voldemort. Well, destroying them was more likely, even if it'd be a challenge to accomplish. It wasn't as though fusing the pieces into a whole soul would exactly make Lord Voldemort a good person or sane. He was born a psychopath and never had any real concern for others. It was also unlikely that the man would be capable of feeling the remorse necessary for the soul pieces to fuse together.

The Gaunts really shouldn't have done all that inbreeding. None of the ones he knew about had been right in the head. The least psychologically messed up one had clearly bewitched Tom Riddle Sr. in some way after all to make him want her. Despite how much Lord Voldemort hated his muggle father, he'd been really fortunate to get his face. There was no way he would've done as well as he had looking like a product of incest from the start. Then again, perhaps he would've never had luck in becoming a dark lord if he'd taken after the Gaunts in looks.

Now, as for the locations of the horcruxes, some would be easier to find than others. Ravenclaw's diadem would be the easiest to obtain since it was at Hogwarts. Lord Voldemort had placed it in the Room of Requirement the last time he'd been at the school. Harry could either grab it first or last in his hunt for the horcruxes.

Hufflepuff's cup had been given to Bellatrix Lestrange for safekeeping. There were a few possible places she could have stored it. Her home, her vault at Gringotts, or wherever she fled the country to if she'd had to flee after Lord Voldemort's disappearance were the most likely options although it was possible she'd stored it elsewhere.

Harry wasn't sure how many Death Eaters would have avoided getting sentenced to Azkaban nor how many would have fled the country after Lord Voldemort disappeared. Knowing how Bellatrix was though, it was much more likely that she would've gone to Azkaban rather than flee the country. She would've wanted to stay in magical Britain to await Lord Voldemort's return. She wouldn't have believed him to truly be gone even if she'd never been informed about the true importance of Hufflepuff's cup. She was just that loyal. In a way, it was fitting that she among all the Death Eaters had been entrusted with Hufflepuff's cup.

Most likely, Bellatrix was sitting in a cell in Azkaban at that very moment. While some Death Eaters would have managed to find ways to avoid prison time, she would not have been one of them. She was the proudest follower Lord Voldemort had. She would've readily admitted to being a Death Eater if caught. Of course, her honesty wouldn't have been needed anyway. She was a rare Death Eater who never bothered to wear a mask to hide her identity.

If Bellatrix had been caught by aurors and thrown into Azkaban and Hufflepuff's cup had been in her home, it might've ended up getting sold to some antique shop or confiscated by the Ministry of Magic to be studied by unspeakables. If the horcrux had been kept inside her vault at Gringotts, it was probably still there or at a relative's home. If the horcrux had been placed somewhere else, it may or may not still be there. The first two possibilities were already going to make it very difficult for Harry to get his hands on the horcrux, and that last possibility would make it nearly impossible.

Slytherin's locket, Harry recalled, was in a cave that Lord Voldemort had been to as a child while on trips to the beach with other children from the orphanage. It was the very same cave where he had horribly messed with Dennis and Amy's minds.

The cave required someone entering the cave to cut themselves and drip or smear fresh blood on a particular piece of rock. Then, you had to get a boat from within the water of the cave to come up and take it across the cave to a small bit of land to get to where the horcrux was. Then, in order to reach Slytherin's locket, you had to drink a potion that caused the drinker agony until all of the potion had been consumed. In all likelihood, if you weren't with another person while trying to get the horcrux, you would have no luck in this. All the while, if you even once touched the water in the cave, it would trigger a large amount of inferi made from dozens of muggle corpses to come after you.

The Gaunt family ring was hidden within the shack that Morfin Gaunt called a home. It was definitely one of the easier horcruxes to access, but it was deceptively so. If you touched it, you would be killed by a curse that was placed upon it. It was actually the deadliest one to get.

Tom Riddle's diary had been given to Lucius Malfoy for safekeeping since he, like Bellatrix, was one of Lord Voldemort's most loyal followers. If any of Lord Voldemort's followers had managed to avoid going to Azkaban, he'd likely be among them. He had a lot of political clout, a lot of money, and a willingness to do whatever was necessary for self-preservation. He was a proud man, but if there was a situation where he had to choose between self-preservation and his pride, he would sacrifice his pride in a heartbeat. He was a true Slytherin, through and through.

Seeing as Tom Riddle's diary looked rather inconspicuous, it wouldn't surprise Harry if Lucius had kept it hidden amongst the large number of books his family had in their private library. Then again, since he would've known it was a dark artifact, even if he wouldn't have known the exact nature of it, he might have kept it with his collection of dark artifacts. Either way, he probably would not have put it in his vault at Gringotts.

Lucius might have trusted the goblins with his money, but he wouldn't trust them with something Lord Voldemort wanted him to protect, especially since he looked down on creatures like goblins. It was also unlikely that Lucius would have placed the horcrux in some strange, hard-to-find place. He'd want to check up on it constantly to ensure its safety.

If Lucius had ended up going to Azkaban, most likely it wouldn't change the location of the horcrux. His wife, Narcissa, likely wouldn't have gone to Azkaban since she wasn't actually a Death Eater, so she would've protected it if she knew about it or treated it like any of the other books or dark artifacts that were in the home if she didn't know about it.

Harry's best shot at getting his hands on Tom Riddle's diary would involve befriending Lucius and Narcissa's son, Draco, who would be starting his first year at Hogwarts this year, based on Harry's calculations, assuming Draco wasn't sent off to Durmstrang. Being dormmates would certainly help.

* * *

Over the course of the next couple of days Harry's eyesight gradually improved. He mostly spent his time alternating between sleeping and thinking except when a healer would give him a potion, bring him food, talk to him, or take him on a walk up to and around the roof of the hospital. If he wasn't already used to spending a lot of time alone with nothing to do, he would've felt very bored.

The day that Harry's eyesight was fully corrected was the day Madam Malkin came by to take his measurements and confirm exactly what clothes he was getting and how much. The payment for the items had been made in advance, so Harry didn't have to worry about paying the witch. The measuring hadn't taken long, and the woman had been friendly without being overbearing. She, like the healers who'd seen him, knew who he was but didn't treat him like how people normally treated celebrities. He was quite grateful for this.

For the following week, Harry spent his time making sure he could read, write, and walk properly now that he could see. If he hadn't had Tom Riddle's memories, he knew he would have had to take a long time to learn how to really do things normally, particularly reading. The fact that he didn't struggle at all surprised the healers, but Harry simply told them that he had felt the shapes of the letters before, so he had been able to picture the letters for ages. It was technically the truth, just not the whole truth.

If it seemed like Harry learned quickly, that was to his advantage, particularly if the information was somehow spread. He would easily be the top student in his year after all. He intended to look like a magical prodigy, which he actually was thanks to Lord Voldemort's memories. He most certainly knew more at that moment than Tom Riddle had at the same age, more than Tom Riddle would know until decades later.

One day, while Harry was walking around on the floor his room was located on, he saw a woman standing in the middle of the hall in a hospital gown. Her face was thin and worn, her eyes were strangely large for her face, and her hair was thin and white. She didn't really look like she was aware of her surroundings.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked the woman.

The woman didn't respond.

"Are you lost?"

Once again, the woman didn't respond. It seemed she didn't want to speak or wasn't able to do so.

Harry saw Healer Strout walk off a lift down at the end of the hall with a chubby, brown-haired boy and a tall, thin elderly woman. The trio walked towards Harry and the woman.

"Alice," the healer called. "It's time to go back inside your room. You have visitors." She gently pulled the woman along and headed towards the Janus Thickey Ward. The healer looked behind herself briefly and said, "Oh, Harry, you should run along to your room. I believe it's almost time for Healer Slaughter to see you."

The elderly woman who had entered the floor with Healer Strout looked at Harry with a sharp look in her eye, her gaze lingering on the scar on his forehead. "Harry Potter?" She turned her attention to the healer. "Harry Potter is here?"

The healer froze, clearly realizing she'd just told someone outside of the select few hospital staff members involved in treating Harry about his presence at the hospital. "Mrs. Longbottom, please understand that this is not to be made known to the public. He's just here for a short while, nothing serious. We're hoping that having him on this floor will be effective at maintaining privacy."

"You mean that you want to avoid having reporters swarming the hospital. I understand. It wouldn't be good for my son or his wife's condition either I'm sure."

A look of relief crossed the healer's face. "I'm glad you agree."

Harry saw that the boy who'd been brought up to the floor with the healer was looking at him with wide eyes but otherwise didn't do or say anything. As Harry started to walk away from the group to his room, he heard Mrs. Longbottom say, "Come along, Neville."

When Harry got back to his room, Healer Slaughter was, indeed, there waiting for him. She asked him a few questions, examined him, and gave him some more potions before having him be escorted by a staff member to the roof for the sunlight and walking he was supposed to get for the day. After all of that was finished, Harry was free to walk around the floor like he had been earlier.

Eventually, Harry walked by the Janus Thickey Ward, just as Mrs. Longbottom and Neville were leaving. Harry saw Alice give Neville a candy wrapper. Neville smiled at her and put the wrapper in his pocket, even as Mrs. Longbottom told him to throw it away. Neville startled when he noticed Harry but didn't say anything. He just followed Mrs. Longbottom as she walked down the hall.

A short while later, Harry saw Healer Strout come out of the room Neville and Mrs. Longbottom had just exited and decided to question her. "Healer Strout?"

"Yes, Harry? You know, you really shouldn't be around this part of the floor. You should stay near your room. It's safer that way."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not worried. I was just wondering if you could tell me who all those people were?"

The healer frowned. "I can't do that. Patient confidentiality and all. They were family members of a couple of patients here is all I can say."

"I understand." Harry had already suspected as much but had just wanted confirmation. Mrs. Longbottom had mentioned her son and his wife in a way that suggested both were patients at the hospital. The woman who had somehow found her way out of the Janus Thickey Ward had to have been Alice Longbottom, making her husband Frank Longbottom. Neville Longbottom was their son, the boy who had come to visit them.

Harry knew that Lord Voldemort had considered killing the Longbottoms before ultimately choosing to go after the Potters. It was because he thought a fellow half-blood wizard was who the prophesy most likely referred to and the fact that Harry's birthday was the last day of July that he went after the Potters in the end.

Whatever happened to the Longbottoms had to have happened after Lord Voldemort attacked the Potters. Harry didn't have any memories showing him that the dark wizard had ordered anything against them, and Lord Voldemort hadn't attacked them before attacking the Potters either. Now Harry found himself pondering a question he needed to get an answer to: What happened to the Longbottoms?


	3. Choices

**Chapter 3: Choices**

Professor Snape returned to the hospital in the afternoon the day before Harry would need to board the Hogwarts Express to take Harry to get his wand. By this point, Harry had received his clothes from Madam Malkin and skimmed through all of his textbooks. He hadn't felt the need to truly read them since the information was very familiar to him already.

His worries about not dreaming about Tom Riddle's life had gone away once his eyesight was corrected and he no longer received sleeping draughts. Now that Harry was entering the wizarding world, it also seemed as though recalling his dreams was coming easier to him. It wasn't clear why.

Before the professor took Harry to Ollivanders, Harry was discharged from the hospital, and his belongings were taken to a room at the Leaky Cauldron, which was where Harry would be staying the night before taking the train to Hogwarts the following morning. The whole time that Harry and the professor spent walking through Diagon Alley to Ollivanders, Harry saw familiar sights in real life for the first time. Only some of the shops were different. Ollivanders looked the same as it had when Tom Riddle had bought his yew wand.

When they entered the shop, Harry was greeted by the sight of an old man who looked friendly but had a gaze that seemed strangely intense. It was a little unnerving. Harry supposed this was Mr. Ollivander, the wandmaker.

Mr. Ollivander greeted Harry and Professor Snape cheerfully, talking a bit about the professor's wand as well as the wands of Harry's parents. Harry noticed, while looking at the professor out of the corner of his eye, that the professor's jaw was clenched tight as the wandmaker discussed the wands of Harry's parents.

Harry knew that Severus had only asked Lord Voldemort to spare the life of Lily Potter when he learned that the Dark Lord would go after the Potters. The man hated James Potter and hadn't cared about him as a baby since he was the offspring of James Potter. Of course, he also realized it was about practicality. No matter what, Lord Voldemort had been set on killing him. Asking to spare his life would have been pointless.

Mr. Ollivander began to have Harry try out several different wands, all of which rejected him. Some wands had more violent reactions than others. At one point, when the wandmaker went back for yet another wand, Harry overheard him mutter, "I wonder," and had a feeling that he knew where this was going. He knew that there were two wands out there that had wand cores made of the feathers of a phoenix that had provided only two feathers for wands: One was Tom Riddle's wand, and one was a wand that had yet to be purchased when Tom Riddle had purchased his wand.

When the wand was placed in Harry's hand, Harry felt a comforting warmth spread through him, and gold sparks shot out of the wand as a slight breeze spread through the room. The wandmaker said, "Curious. Very curious." Harry simply looked at him, waiting for the man to elaborate, which he did without needing prompting. "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter, but it's not always clear why. It's curious that this wand would choose you when its brother gave you that scar."

Harry saw that Professor Snape was startled by the news, but he wasn't. He'd had a feeling this would happen. Harry shrugged and replied, "We can't exactly choose who we're related to."

It was clear that that hadn't been the reaction the wandmaker had expected as he continued. "Indeed. I expect you'll do great things, Mr. Potter. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things after all, terrible but great."

Harry frowned. "Sir, I think I'm the last person you should be saying that to." Just because Harry found Tom Riddle interesting and appreciated his magical prowess didn't mean he wanted to hear anyone more or less praise the man who had killed his parents.

Once again, the wandmaker clearly hadn't expected Harry's reaction. "My apologies, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded once to show he accepted the apology. Then Professor Snape paid for Harry's wand before handing Harry a bag containing the money he'd obtained from Harry's vault that hadn't been spent.

As Harry and the professor headed back to the Leaky Cauldron, they encountered a man around the professor's age who wore a purple turban around his head.

"Quirinus," Professor Snape drawled as a greeting.

"Seh-severus, n-nice to-to see you," Quirinus replied before turning his focus onto Harry. "And you muh-must be H-harry Potter. I-I'll be y-your D-defense A-against the Dark Arts pro-ff-fess-ss-sor."

Harry's right eye twitched in annoyance, but he really couldn't fault someone for having a disability. However, the severity of the speech impediment this professor had didn't seem conducive to teaching students. Thankfully, he knew everything this man was likely to teach, so he'd be able to largely ignore him in class. He smiled politely and offered his hand for the man to shake. "I look forward to seeing what you have to teach, professor."

The professor reached out to shake Harry's hand, but the moment their hands made contact, the professor retracted his hand quickly as though Harry's hand had been a hot stove he'd made the mistake of touching and had gotten slightly burned in the process.

"S-sorry. I muh-must be g-going," the professor said before walking away from Harry and Professor Snape.

Harry looked at Professor Snape with a raised eyebrow. "What was that about?"

"I haven't the slightest idea," the professor responded with a thoughtful look on his face.

Once Professor Snape brought Harry back to the Leaky Cauldron, he instructed Harry on how to get to King's Cross train station in the morning and reminded him that the train would leave at 11 a.m. He then left Harry at the inn. Harry had dinner at the Leaky Cauldron and went to bed early in preparation for the next day.

He woke up at 8 a.m., got himself ready for the day, had breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron, and checked out of his room by 9:30 a.m. All of his possessions were in his trunk other than the muggle-styled clothes on his body, his wand, his train ticket, and his money pouch. Harry stood on the curb outside the Leaky Cauldron next to his trunk. He stretched out his right arm with his wand in his hand. It was only a few minutes later that the Knight Bus appeared.

Because Harry managed to hide the scar on his forehead with his hair, he didn't have to deal with anyone fawning over him for being the Boy-Who-Lived. He simply paid the necessary amount of money to get onto the bus and took a seat after announcing his desired destination.

He arrived at King's Cross train station by 9:45 a.m. He didn't bother to grab a trolley to put his trunk on because his trunk had wheels. Otherwise, it would've been necessary to simply drag the trunk until a trolley appeared. Professor Snape's choice of trunk for Harry was very practical.

Harry didn't need any help with finding Platform 9 3/4 and didn't need any help with getting through the barrier and onto the train.

Once Harry gave his train ticket to one of the train's ticket collectors, he entered the train and sought out a compartment to sit in. He had planned to find an empty compartment, but he changed his mind when he saw a familiar face sitting in a compartment all by himself.

Harry opened the door of the compartment, and Neville looked away from the toad he was holding, up at Harry.

"Is it alright if I join you?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Neville replied nervously.

Harry smiled. "Thanks." He then proceeded to drag his trunk inside and lift it onto the rack opposite of where Neville's trunk was placed. Once that was done, Harry closed the door of the compartment and sat down across from Neville. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Harry Potter." Harry offered his hand for the boy to shake.

Hesitantly, Neville reached out and shook Harry's hand. "I'm Neville Longbottom."

"It's nice to meet you, Neville."

The two boys sat in silence for a while. Harry didn't really mind the silence, but he could tell that Neville felt uncomfortable based on his fidgeting. Harry decided to end the silence for Neville's benefit. "So, I see you have a toad. What made you decide to get a toad rather than a cat or an owl?"

Neville visibily relaxed slightly. "Oh, well, when I got my Hogwarts letter, my great-uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad. You see, my family thought I might not be magic enough to come here. You should've seen their faces when I got my letter."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. "They thought you were a squib?"

"Yeah. It took a while before they saw me do any accidental magic. They tried to get my magic to come out in all sorts of ways before it finally appeared."

Harry frowned. He didn't like the sound of that at all. However, he was not about to inquire further at this time. He knew that pureblood wizarding families often did all sorts of dangerous, downright abusive things to their kids to get them to show signs of magic. He wouldn't have expected a light wizarding family like the Longbottoms to engage in such behavior though, so he was quite surprised.

Harry decided to steer the conversation in a more lighthearted direction. "So what's your toad's name?"

"Trevor."

"Why Trevor?"

Neville shrugged. "It just seemed like a good name for a toad, Trevor the toad."

The door of the compartment opened, and a girl with bushy brown hair already wearing her Hogwarts uniform appeared. "Can I sit with you two?" she asked, sounding out of breath.

"Sure. Do you need any help with getting your trunk on the rack?" Harry replied.

"I'd appreciate that. I got a bit carried away when buying books at Flourish and Blotts, so my trunk's quite heavy."

That explained why the girl was breathing heavily. She'd been dragging a heavy trunk for a while.

Harry helped the girl lift her trunk onto the rack he'd put his trunk on earlier. She hadn't been overstating things when she'd said her trunk was heavy. Even with two people it was difficult to lift the trunk onto the rack. Harry noticed that the girl's trunk had wheels, like his did. He wasn't sure how she would have managed to get her trunk onto the train if it hadn't had wheels.

Harry sat back down where he'd been sitting before, and the girl closed the door of the compartment before sitting down on his side of the compartment. "My name's Hermione Granger," she said. "And you two are...?"

"I'm Neville Longbottom," Neville answered.

"It's nice to meet you, Neville," Hermione said.

"And I'm Harry Potter," Harry answered.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Harry Potter? I've read all about you. You're in books!"

Harry felt slightly amused. "What do these books say about me?"

"You defeated a very powerful evil wizard when you were just a baby!"

"Anything else?"

"Well, there's mention of your scar, but no one knows where you went."

"So you haven't actually read all about me then."

Hermione's cheeks pinkened slightly with obvious embarrassment. "I might have gotten carried away."

Harry smiled. "It's alright."

"So where did you go afterwards?" Hermione asked.

"I was raised by my mum's muggle sister and her family."

"You grew up in the muggle world?" Neville asked.

"Yeah," Harry answered.

Hermione smiled brightly. "That's wonderful! I was raised by muggles too. I'm the first witch in my family!"

"You're a muggleborn?" Neville asked.

Hermione nodded proudly. "My parents were so excited for me when they learned I was a witch though they were skeptical until Professor McGonagall explained things and transformed herself into a cat. It was amazing. I'm really excited to see what we learn at Hogwarts. I've already read through all of my textbooks, and I got some other books too to better understand the wizarding world. There's this book I got that's all about Hogwarts called 'Hogwarts: A History.' It's my favorite book right now."

"I think you're going to end up in Ravenclaw," Harry commented.

"I'm actually hoping to get sorted into Gryffindor. Just because I'm intelligent and like books doesn't mean that that should determine which House I end up in."

"Why do you want to get sorted into Gryffindor?"

"It's the House of the brave, and I think it's important to always stand up for what you believe in, even if it's not popular. You need courage to do what's right rather than simply what's easy. I've always been outspoken. I'm not afraid to speak up for or defend myself or others."

Harry nodded. Hermione's argument swayed him. "I hope you get into Gryffindor then." Harry turned his attention to Neville. "Which House do you think you'll get sorted into, Neville?"

"Well," Neville responded, "my parents were in Gryffindor, and I know Gran wants me to end up in Gryffindor just like them, but I don't really think I'm brave enough for Gryffindor. I'd like to get sorted into Hufflepuff."

Harry recalled that Neville's parents had both been aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix. It wasn't really surprising that Frank and Alice Longbottom had both been in Gryffindor. Most members of the Order of the Phoenix had been in Gryffindor in fact.

Harry could tell that Neville was a shy, nervous boy. Gryffindor could potentially make him braver, but Hufflepuff would be comforting for someone like him. "I hope you get sorted into Hufflepuff then."

"Thanks. Which House do you think you'll get sorted into?" Neville asked.

"Slytherin. I think I have traits suitable for all four of the Houses, but I think Slytherin is where I'll likely end up."

"I'm not sure if Slytherin would be good for you. A lot of You-Know-Who's supporters were in Slytherin, and their kids are likely to be in Slytherin too."

"I appreciate the concern, but I think I'll be fine."

The train left the train station, and the three children found themselves conversing with each other easily for the next several hours. The children got to know each other and easily found themselves making their first friends among their fellow soon-to-be classmates. Neville and Hermione learned that Harry had been blind and that his relatives had been less than pleasant. Harry and Neville learned that Hermione's parents were dentists. Neville learned about what dentists do. Hermione learned a bit about wizarding society.

At one point, the trolley witch came by with sweets. Harry got some sweets for himself and for his two new friends. Neville didn't have any money for sweets because his grandmother wanted him to lose weight while Hermione thought she shouldn't have any sweets because of her parents' profession. Harry told Neville and Hermione that a few sweets were not going to harm either of them, and it didn't take much convincing for the two children to give in, especially since Harry was the one buying the sweets.

Later on in the day, as Hermione reentered the compartment after having visited the loo, Trevor the toad got away from Neville and began hopping down the train. Harry told Hermione and Neville that he'd go find the toad and would be back shortly. He briefly considered using nonmagical means to find the toad in order to not demonstrate his advanced magical knowledge but tossed aside the idea quickly as he realized it'd take ages for him to find the toad if he went that route. After making sure no one was looking, he summoned the toad. If anyone had been obverving the situation, they would have seen a brown blob zoom through the air before being caught by Harry. When Harry looked at the just-caught toad, he saw that it looked a bit disoriented, but it was otherwise fine. Then, he reentered the compartment and gave Neville his toad.

Shortly before the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, Neville and Harry changed into their robes. During this time, Hermione waited outside the compartment to give the boys privacy.

When the train finally did pull up to the station, the first-year students were called over to the boats by Hagrid. Hermione, Neville, and Harry all got into a boat together. Trevor the toad once again attempted to escape, but Harry summoned it nonverbally and quickly enough that it just appeared as though he had caught the toad by nonmagical means.

All of the first-year students were in awe of Hogwarts, even Harry. He had plenty of Tom Riddle's memories that featured the castle, but it was one thing to see the castle through another person's memories and another to see the castle with one's own eyes. During the boat ride, Hermione told the boys facts she'd learned about the castle.

After the students made it across the lake, they were taken inside and made to wait before the doors of the Great Hall. It wouldn't be long before the students would be brought inside to get sorted.

"Word on the train is that Harry Potter's come to Hogwarts," a haughty-sounding boy said.

Some murmuring began among the students.

Harry didn't respond to the blond-haired boy when he heard the simple statement, but it only took a moment before the boy determined who Harry Potter was.

"This is Crabbe," the blond-haired boy introduced a bulky boy on his right. "And this is Goyle," he introduced a bulky boy on his left. "And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," the boy introduced himself.

Someone in the crowd snorted, and Draco turned his attention to the source. "Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask what your name is. Red hair and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley."

Draco turned his attention back to Harry. "You'll find that some witches and wizards are better than others. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." He looked at Neville and Hermione pointedly. "I can help you there." He stuck out his hand for Harry to shake.

Harry hesitated. Although he had originally planned to befriend Lucius's son in hopes of gaining easier access to the diary horcrux, he found himself really disliking the boy already. Draco, instantly upon meeting him, had dragged the spotlight onto them, insulted multiple people, including himself by essentially insulting his ability to judge others, and made it clear that he was trying to play with social dynamics. If Harry accepted Draco's offer of friendship, because of how Draco approached things, Harry would find himself with lower status, propping up a rude, arrogant child.

Harry decided that he would not befriend Draco Malfoy. If using Draco became necessary, he could simply use the Imperius on him someday. Otherwise, he'd find some other means to get to the diary horcrux. After all, it wasn't as though befriending Draco guaranteed access to the horcrux. "I appreciate the offer, but I think I can tell the right sort for myself." He did not shake Draco's hand.

Draco looked offended, but before he could say anything to Harry, Professor McGonagall opened the doors of the Great Hall and ushered in the first-year students. A short speech was given and the Sorting Hat sung a song about the Hogwarts Houses before students began to get sorted.

To Harry's surprise, both Hermione and Neville had the Sorting Hat on their heads for a long time, not long enough to be hatstalls but still longer than usual. Both clearly argued with the Sorting Hat. Hermione won her argument while Neville lost his argument. Both ended up getting sorted into Gryffindor. Harry had to bite his lip in order to not laugh when Neville ran to the Gryffindor table with the hat still on his head before sheepishly giving the hat to Professor McGonagall.

When Harry's name was finally called, he felt the mood in the Great Hall shift. Everyone was very interested in seeing where he would end up. Most would probably assume he would get sorted into Gryffindor because his parents were in that House or because he had "defeated" Voldemort as a baby. Harry did his best to pretend he didn't notice the hyperfocus directed towards him as he sat on the stool and had the Sorting Hat placed on his head.

The Sorting Hat began to speak to him in his mind. "Well, this is interesting. I've never sorted someone like you before. It is almost as though you have lived an entire life before, and yet you haven't. You might want to consider what those items you are seeking can do and how they are made. It may explain why you know what you know."

Harry certainly didn't expect to get input about things related to Voldemort from the Sorting Hat! Didn't it only have as much knowledge really as the children whose heads it sat upon?

"I am simply telling you something that you would be able to put together with the pieces of information you already have. I just happen to be able to see it all at once. Now, onto which House you should go into. You know you have traits of all four Houses, but you wish to be in Slytherin, even though your friends are both in Gryffindor and Slytherin likely is filled with children of people who wish for your death. Why do you want Slytherin more than Gryffindor beyond the familiarity you would experience by being in the same House that Tom Riddle once was in?"

Harry wanted to be in Slytherin in part because the familiarity would be comforting, true, and the idea of going into Gryffindor where his new friends were was tempting. He had one major reason for wanting to go into Slytherin that had nothing to do with feelings, however: If Voldemort ever returned, which he would probably do sooner rather than later, then the children of his former Death Eaters, most being in Slytherin, would be ideal for recruiting as members of a new generation of Death Eaters. If Harry got into Slytherin, he could catch wind of Voldemort's return or plans early on as well as work to prevent his fellow Slytherins from becoming Death Eaters.

The Sorting Hat was satisfied with Harry's reason and shouted "Slytherin!" Applause came from the student body like it did for all sortings, but Harry could tell the Gryffindors as a House were disappointed and the Slytherins as a House were surprised. Harry glanced over at Hermione and Neville and saw that they were happy for him getting sorted into the House he had told them he wanted.

When Harry sat down at the Slytherin table, he chose to sit on the side that would have no tables behind his back. He could look around the entire room from his location. He didn't like not having his back to the wall when sitting down. Part of it was that he felt more comfortable in confined spaces since he spent so much time in his cupboard, and part of it was because walls allowed him to move about when he couldn't see before even if he didn't have a probing cane on hand. Although he could see now and would never have to live in a cupboard again, it would take time to adjust to the newfound freedom. He also simply liked the idea of being able to observe and react to anything instantly, and whether that was simply a part of his own personality or something he picked up because of Voldemort's memories, it really didn't change how he felt.

Once the last student to be sorted made his way over to the Slytherin table, Headmaster Dumbledore spoke about some rules, like places to be avoided, and then the feast began. Harry's eyes widened when he saw all the food appear. Yes, he had Tom's memories about meals at Hogwarts, but again it was different seeing with his own eyes. He had never encountered so much food before. He kept in mind what the healer had told him when making his food selection. He needed nutritious meals to counteract the malnutrition, even if the nutrient potions had mostly remedied this issue.

He didn't start up any conversations with the other students while he ate dinner, but it didn't stop them from starting any up with him.

"So, Potter, how did you end up in Slytherin?" a first-year girl asked. Other students pretended to not be listening.

"Who are you?" Harry asked back.

"Pansy Parkinson."

"Well, Pansy, how did you end up in Slytherin? I assume we're all here because we have certain traits or values that align with what Slytherin represents."

"But usually people get sorted into a House their parents were in."

"Maybe one of my parents was in Slytherin." Harry shrugged. He knew very well both of his parents had been in Gryffindor, but he only knew that due to Voldemort's memories.

Pansy shook her head. "Potters are all Gryffindors. It's been that way for centuries."

"That doesn't mean my mother couldn't have been in Slytherin."

Draco joined the conversation, sneering. "I heard that she was a mudblood. There's no way she was in Slytherin."

Harry blinked, incredulous. "Excuse me?"

"Mudbloods don't get sorted into Slytherin."

"You're seriously calling my mother a mudblood? Draco, just how stupid are you?"

"What?"

"I met you for the first time maybe a half hour ago, and in both interactions I've had with you, you have managed to insult both me and several other people. How did you figure that that would make me have any desire to befriend you or even respect you? And now you feel the need to go on using a slur to insult my dead mother who sacrificed her life so that I could live as though you are somehow better than her? Pathetic." Harry shook his head.

Draco was speechless for once, and Harry returned to eating his meal, not noticing how other students and even some staff members were looking at him. He hadn't realized he'd been shouting when he called Draco out.

When dinner came to an end, the first-year students were escorted to their dormitories. Unfortunately, Harry would have to share the same room as Draco, but at least the other first-year Slytherin boys would be there and seemed decent enough or at least weren't likely to be as much of a handful to deal with. Harry selected a bed in the corner furthest from the door and made sure his belongings and bed curtains were properly secured before he changed into pajamas and went to sleep.


	4. Year One, Part One

**Chapter 4: Year One, Part One**

Harry awoke before his fellow Slytherin dormmates and used that to his advantage. He packed everything he'd need for the day in his rucksack and got ready for the day. He was out of the dorm before anyone else woke up.

He spent a short while in the common room, looking around the room and out the windows into the lake. He saw a few merpeople swim by though they paid him no attention.

Harry decided to leave the common room and head for the Room of Requirement. He was certain no one would notice him due to the early hour. He wanted to make sure that Ravenclaw's diadem was still in the room. He didn't plan to remove it from its location any time soon, but he needed the assurance that would be provided by seeing it.

He didn't see anyone as he climbed the stairs of the castle to reach the Room of Requirement, and he was able to get inside easily. Once inside, he saw a large volume of items that had been left behind, but he ignored it all. He was focused on finding the diadem.

The diadem was located on top of a big pile deep within the room. Harry could sense the dark magic radiating from it and knew that it was still a horcrux. Satisfied with the knowledge of where the horcrux was located, he headed back towards the entrance of the room. He paused when he passed by a large mirror with clawed feet that was adorned with an inscription written backwards.

The mirror showed Harry his parents, not his entire family as he didn't actually care about knowing the rest of his family. It also showed him a youthful, sane, and kind Tom Riddle who had an intact soul. It was obvious that the mirror showed only what one desired, not what was necessarily possible in any way. For one thing, Harry's parents had been dead for a solid decade. For another thing, Tom Riddle had never really been sane or truly kind, even when his soul was intact.

Harry didn't look at the mirror for too long. It'd be pointless to dwell on what he wanted but couldn't have.

When Harry left the room, he neared a staircase that would take him down from the seventh floor and encountered Professor Quirrell. Unlike the last time they met, the man reeked of garlic. How peculiar.

"M-Mister P-Potter what are y-you d-doing out s-s-so early and s-s-so far f-from your d-dorm?"

Harry forced himself to maintain a pleasant expression on his face. "I was just exploring the castle a bit, professor. I found myself awake too early for breakfast, and there wasn't anything else for me to do. Classes haven't started yet after all."

"And y-you s-started on this f-floor?"

"I figured I should start at the top and work my way down. I considered going outside, but I wasn't sure if that was allowed," Harry lied easily. A convenient thing about having the memories of an accomplished sociopath is that it really made it easy to lie his way out of potentially problematic situations.

Harry could tell that the professor was wavering in believing his lie, but ultimately, he seemed to accept it.

"B-Breakfast is about to s-start. Y-you sh-should head to the G-Great Hall."

"Of course, professor. I'll see you in class." Harry nodded once at the professor and headed down the stairs. Looking back, he noticed Professor Quirrell went further on the seventh floor, walking in the direction of the Room of Requirement.

By the time Harry reached the Great Hall, many students were already in the process of eating breakfast. Harry spotted Hermione and Neville at the Gryffindor table and walked over to them. "Good morning," Harry greeted the two.

"Good morning," the two replied one after the other.

"So, Harry, is everything okay?" Hermione asked.

Harry's face scrunched up in confusion as he sat down and started piling food on a plate. "Yes? Why do you ask?"

"We heard you yelling at the Slytherin table last night," Neville answered.

Harry paused in putting food on his plate. "I was yelling?"

"At Malfoy it sounded like," Neville added.

"Oh. He irritated me too much." Harry went back to putting food on his plate.

"He said something about your mother?" Hermione asked, clearly looking to get further explanation.

Harry ate a few bites of eggs and toast. "He called her a mudblood and insulted her and myself in other ways along with other students."

Neville frowned.

Hermione looked somewhat confused. "What's a mudblood?"

"It's an insult used against muggleborns. Certain purebloods believe muggleborns have dirty blood because they don't have magical parents." Neville answered. "How did you know that word, Harry? I thought you were raised by muggles."

"I didn't know exactly what it meant," Harry lied in between bites of food, "but it sounded insulting." It was wonderful just how much food he had access to now that he was at Hogwarts rather than with the Dursleys.

Hermione looked distraught. "I'm going to be looked down on because my parents are muggles? How common is that sort of thinking?"

Neville fidgeted. "Pretty common, but most witches and wizards don't care about blood status. It's probably like one in every four who have an issue with muggleborns. Most of them are purebloods."

"That's still quite a few," Hermione whispered.

"Listen, Hermione, if anyone treats you badly for being a muggleborn, I'll hex them. Okay?" Harry knew plenty of unique hexes. He silently dared anyone to test him.

Hermione smiled though it was obvious she was trying not to. "You really shouldn't go around hexing people. Besides, what hexes could you possibly know?"

Harry waved his hand dismissively, which got a light amount of laughter from his friends. They didn't need to know that he knew far more than they could imagine.

The trio continued eating breakfast and talked about lighter matters. Harry described the Slytherin dungeons to Hermione and Neville, and they described the Gryffindor tower to him.

Professor McGonagall passed out schedules to students at the Gryffindor table and looked at Harry curiously when she saw him. "Mr. Potter, I'm surprised to see you over here and not with members of your House."

"I have friends here," Harry answered simply.

"Understand that you will be expected to sit with your Housemates for dinner. It isn't a problem for students to sit at other Houses' tables for breakfast or lunch, but dinner is a different matter due to the number of students eating at the same time."

"I understand."

"Now, I suggest you go over to the Slytherin table. Professor Snape is handing out schedules to the first-year Slytherins."

"I will. Thank you, professor." Harry finished his breakfast before walking over to Professor Snape.

Professor Snape raised an eyebrow when he noticed the direction Harry came from. "Why were you at the Gryffindor table?"

"I have friends over there, and honestly, I didn't want to deal with Draco first thing this morning." Harry was certain at this point that the professor would have overheard him yelling at Draco the previous night, considering his friends had managed to pick up pieces all the way over at the Gryffindor table. Also, since Severus had been close with his mother, he didn't think Draco would manage to avoid a scolding from the professor, especially since said professor happened to be the boy's godfather.

The professor scowled. "I'll be having a conversation with Mr. Malfoy about his manners."

Harry nodded.

Professor Snape handed over Harry's schedule. "Do make sure to be on time to your classes, and do expect to be questioned in class."

Harry knew that was the professor's way of telling him that he needed to be the perfect student in his class. He didn't expect to have any issue accomplishing that.

* * *

The first week of classes passed by without a lot of fanfare. No spellcasting occurred as professors were focused on introducing the subjects to the students.

In each of his classes, Harry had to explain why he was using pens and notebooks for notetaking instead of using a quill, ink, and parchment. For the most part, the professors and students raised in the wizarding world were curious while the muggleborn students were shocked and a little upset that they hadn't done the same. They were struggling to use quills and ink and attempting to write in straight lines on blank parchment when they could have had things easier. Multiple students murmured about how they were going to ask their parents to send them muggle school supplies as soon as possible. Harry only just prevented himself from smirking.

Regarding the actual classes themselves, Harry got to see demonstrations of magic that he understood perfectly but was still entertained by. In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry found himself doing his best to ignore the professor, choosing to use the time to work on a biography about Tom Riddle. He had wanted to write about the dark wizard for years, and the most convenient time to do so would be in classes where he didn't want to pay attention while students were taking notes. He worked on the biography in History of Magic as well. In Potions, Professor Snape questioned Harry, and Harry answered the questions correctly and with ease.

Friday morning, Harry received a note from Hagrid. It said that he had known Harry's parents and would like to invite him over for tea that afternoon. Harry accepted the invitation. Based on what he knew about Hagrid, the half-giant was someone who had good intentions even if he enjoyed having dangerous creatures for pets. Harry did not approve of Tom framing him as Slytherin's heir and the one controlling Slytherin's monster. It was ridiculous that people had even believed that. Everything about Salazar Slytherin was related to serpents. Why would anyone think an acromantula would be Slytherin's monster instead of a giant snake? It was also highly unlikely that a half-giant would be concerned about blood purity. The blood purists looked down on beings like half-giants! To say that Harry was disappointed with the stupidity of wizards would be an understatement.

Harry found that afternoon that Hagrid was pleasant company. He couldn't bake properly by any means, but he was kind and had plenty to tell Harry about his parents. He even gave Harry a late birthday present, a cake with pink frosting with the words "Happy Birthday Harry" written in green frosting. Honestly, the cake was hideous and hard to eat, but nonetheless, Harry was happy. No one had ever gotten him a real birthday present before. Even Severus hadn't seemed to remember his birthday, despite picking him up from the Dursleys on the very day. Before curfew, Harry headed back inside the castle to the Slytherin dungeons.

He spent Saturday in the library with Hermione and Neville as they all worked on their homework. Harry completed his work before the other two, so he decided to seek out some newspapers dating around the time Voldemort had killed his parents. He was largely aware of events leading up to that point, but he didn't know what happened after that Halloween night. The most recent memories he had from Voldemort were of that night.

Harry sat at a different table from his friends as he looked over the newspapers. Not too long after Voldemort had been defeated, his godfather, Sirius Black, had gone after Peter Pettigrew, killing him and about a dozen muggles with an explosion. All that was left of Pettigrew was a finger. Black was arrested and not too long after put into Azkaban. It was believed that Black had been a Death Eater and had betrayed the Potters. However, Harry knew that it was, in fact, Pettigrew who was a Death Eater and who had betrayed the Potters. It seemed Black had been thrown into Azkaban without even receiving a trial.

Since Harry had been stuck with the Dursleys for all this time, he knew it meant Black was still in Azkaban. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to prove that Pettigrew had been a Death Eater, and if Black had killed him and several muggles nearby, he was still guilty of killing several people. It was a shame really.

As he suspected, many suspected Death Eaters claimed they'd been under the Imperius Curse during the war, including one Lucius Malfoy, and managed to avoid getting sent to Azkaban. Meanwhile, other Death Eaters did get sent to Azkaban. Bellatrix Lestrange had been sent there, along with her husband, his brother, and Barty Crouch Jr., but it was after they had kidnapped and tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom to the point where they lost their minds. The four Death Eaters had believed the Longbottoms would know of the whereabouts of Voldemort. Harry suspected it was because Voldemort had considered the possibility of the prophesy applying to their child. The Longbottoms had been living in a home that was under the Fidelius Charm, but they had ended it once news had come out about Voldemort's defeat. It was the worst mistake they ever made.

Someday, Harry would get his own home, and he would make sure that it was placed under the Fidelius Charm and that he was the secret keeper. It may have been paranoid thinking on his part, but it seemed the problem was trust. A lack of trust was needed for survival.

After learning the news about the Longbottoms, Harry decided to not read any more newspapers for the day. It was already a lot to take in. Harry hoped that Neville hadn't witnessed any of the harm that befell his parents. The newspapers didn't make it sound like he was around, thankfully.

* * *

Harry's second week at Hogwarts went much like the first, except there were flying lessons for the first-year students. He felt excited over the idea of flying. He might've been somewhat nervous if he didn't already know that he'd likely be capable of unassisted flight if he did happen to fall off. It helped that the first time he said "Up" the broom leapt into his hand eagerly.

Neville's broom didn't appear to want to cooperate with him, and the moment the students mounted their brooms, his took off, flying wildly about the place. The incident ended with Neville breaking his wrist and Madam Hooch escorting him to the Hospital Wing. This would be the first of many instances of Neville needing to visit the Hospital Wing for injuries incurred during classes.

Draco picked up Neville's Remembrall, which the boy had received that morning from his grandmother, from the ground and made a couple of rude comments that caused a couple of the Slytherin students to snicker. At first, Harry didn't do anything, but then Hermione gave him a pointed look. Harry sighed and decided the best way to handle the situation would be to convince Draco to give the Remembrall to him. "Give it here, Draco."

Draco tossed the Remembrall up in the air and caught it. "I think I'll keep it."

Harry used a low-level, wandless, nonverbal compulsion charm on Draco. He figured that no one would notice anything out of the ordinary. "Trust me. You don't want that rubbish. Give it to me." He stretched out his hand.

Draco's eyes got a glossy look, and he handed over the Remembrall as he said "You're right. I don't want this rubbish."

Once the Remembrall was safely in Harry's pocket, Draco's eyes grew clear again although he looked a bit confused. Draco sneered and gestured towards the Remembrall. "Perhaps you'll remember who your betters are in the future, Potter."

Harry didn't rise to the bait. He kept a calm, blank look on his face. It only seemed to irritate Draco more, but there wasn't anything for him to do or say to Harry at this time.

Harry noticed Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini looking at him with shrewdness and curiosity in their eyes. Perhaps not all of the children were as unobservant as he thought. From what he could tell, Theodore and Blaise largely kept to themselves, only occasionally interacting with their Housemates. Theodore's father was a long-term Death Eater, one of the early Death Eaters at that. Meanwhile, Harry didn't know anything about the Zabini family, which suggested that the boy didn't have any connection to the Death Eaters. Both boys would be worth getting to know if just to prevent the two from becoming Death Eaters someday.

Over the next few weeks, Harry partnered up with Theodore and Blaise in different classes for their in-class assignments. Both of them were quiet types but for different reasons. Theodore was shy while Blaise was arrogant. Theodore didn't know how he should interact with others and had to be careful with who he interacted with and how. He found Draco's pompous personality and quips amusing at times, but he also didn't feel a desire to get close to him as Draco was a bit too openly arrogant for his taste. Blaise simply felt he was better than just about everyone else but didn't feel a need to make it openly known. Blaise, too, found Draco amusing at times, but he also got annoyed with how loudly and openly arrogant the boy was.

Both Theodore and Blaise inquired about Harry's friendship with Hermione and Neville. Surprisingly, Blaise had a greater issue with Harry befriending a muggleborn than Theodore did. Neither was entirely put off by this though they did inform Harry that they wouldn't be seen hanging around Hermione.

It wasn't long before Harry was able to consider Theodore and Blaise to be friendly acquaintances. He was glad that he had Housemates he could have decent interactions with whenever he was with the Slytherins.

* * *

Most of the negative attention Hermione received wasn't actually related to her being a muggleborn at all, Harry found. The girl was considered a know-it-all, and apparently, Gryffindors in particular didn't like smart girls who could earn them a bunch of points in classes. The most vocal complainer was Ronald Weasley.

When the students practiced the levitation charm in Charms, Hermione helpfully corrected Ronald's pronunciation and gave a flawless demonstration, earning applause from Professor Flitwick and five points for Gryffindor. The boy didn't appreciate it at all and mockingly imitated her while walking from class with Seamus Finnigan, a boy who had somehow blown up his feather, and Dean Thomas. Hermione overheard and walked away crying because it was yet another instance of her getting insulted and mocked by her peers. Harry learned all of this from Neville a little while later at lunch.

When it became obvious that Hermione wasn't going to come to lunch, Harry gathered a sandwich and an apple to take to her. He and Neville then went looking for her. Lavender Brown, a girl whose tendency to gossip was useful in this instance, informed them that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom on the second floor.

Once the two boys reached the bathroom, without entering, Harry opened the door slightly and called out "Hermione?" He heard sniffling but got no response. "Hermione, this is Harry. Neville's with me. He told me what happened. Ronald's a git. He's not worth listening to. If he can't appreciate your help, that says more about him than it does about you. Neville and I brought you some food since you missed lunch. Now, will you please come out?"

Harry heard one of the stall doors open, and briefly afterwards, Hermione exited the bathroom. Harry handed her the sandwich and the apple. "Thank you," Hermione said quietly.

The students went off to their afternoon classes, and when the time came for the Halloween feast, Hermione sat with Neville at the Gryffindor table.

Harry attended the feast just for enough time to eat dinner before he left. While most students were excited over the Halloween festivities, Harry wasn't. This was the anniversary of his parents' deaths. He felt like mourning them. He was only a little surprised that the holiday hadn't been renamed Harry Potter Day or something like it since he did "defeat" the dark lord and end the war on this day all those years ago.

While on his way to the Slytherin dungeons, Harry smelled an incredibly foul, rotting stench that was followed up by the sound of large, thumping steps. Then the source came into view. There was a troll in the castle. He covered his nose with his sleeve. The stench made him want to vomit up his dinner, and that wouldn't be good at all. He pressed himself into a corner concealed by shadows, hoping the troll wouldn't notice him. It didn't. However, that led to a new problem. Did anyone know there was a troll in the castle? Harry needed to let someone know.

The troll appeared to be heading towards the Great Hall at first, but strangely enough, it took the stairs instead. What a stupid beast. It couldn't even properly head towards the food (humans) it desired to consume. It was an odd sight, seeing a troll walk up stairs. Harry debated following the troll versus entering the Great Hall and informing the professors. He decided it'd be better to inform the professors. There was no point in risking his own life.

When Harry entered the Great Hall, he made a beeline for Headmaster Dumbledore. The headmaster looked surprised, but before he could speak, Harry stated, "There's a troll in the castle. It's heading up the stairs."

Dumbledore was about to stand up when Professor Quirrell entered the Great Hall, screaming "Troll! Troll in the dungeon!" and pathetically ending with "Thought you ought to know" before falling to the ground in the fakest-looking faint that Harry had ever seen. While he personally didn't have experience with observing people faint, Voldemort had seen plenty of people faint from fear, which really was always very unfortunate for those individuals. It made their capture and deaths all the easier.

Harry felt very suspicious about the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor right then. First of all, normally, the man stuttered in just about every sentence he uttered, yet now he didn't? Secondly, he was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Why was he so afraid of a troll that it caused him to faint? It didn't make any sense. Thirdly, did the professor even actually faint? It didn't look authentic at all. If the professor didn't break his jaw or at least smash out a few teeth on the floor with the angle at which he fell, that faint was not real. If the faint wasn't real, then what was the professor hoping to accomplish with the stunt? Realization dawned on Harry. Did the professor let the troll into the castle? And if so, why? While Harry was pondering all of this, Dumbledore was directing the students where to go.


End file.
